The
Case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, and The Albany (NY) Resolution
on Preemptive Prosecutions

27 April 2010

By El-Hajj Mauri’ Saalakhan

The Case of
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, and The Albany (NY)
Resolution on Preemptive Prosecutions

MEDIA ADVISORY

On Thursday, April 29, 2010, at 1
pm, a press conference will be convened at the
National Press Club in downtown
Washington, DC, to draw attention to two very
important issues: (1) the upcoming May 6th
Mobilization in New York City
in support of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui; (2) the
precedent-setting "Preemptive Prosecution Resolution”
recently passed by the Common Council of
Albany, New York.

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui
is a Pakistani national who disappeared from the
streets of Pakistan,
along with her three young children (victims of
rendition), in March 2003.
It is believed that she spent the next five years
(2003-2008) as a secretly held prisoner at the U.S.
controlled detention center
in Bagram, Afghanistan. In July 2008, Dr. Siddiqui
mysteriously reappeared on the streets of Ghazni,
Afghanistan, in a weakened and disheveled state, only
to be re-arrested, gravely injured by gunfire, and
subsequently brought to the United States to stand
trial for allegedly attempting to "murder U.S.
personnel."

After a trial that featured
inconsistent testimonies from government witnesses,
and material evidence that was in the defendant's
favor, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui was found guilty on all
counts, and now faces the possibility of
life imprisonment when she is sentenced
in New York on
July 21, 2010.

(The sentencing was
recently changed from May 6 to July 21; however, the
scheduled demonstration for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui - and
other Muslim political prisoners in the U.S. - at
Foley Square
in New York City, on that date, will continue as
planned.)

On
Monday, April 5, 2010, the
city of Albany’s
Common Council passed an amended resolution that urges
the U.S. Justice Department
to implement the recommendation of its own
Inspector General
and establish an independent panel to review
the convictions of Muslims who have been “preemptively
prosecuted,” to ensure fair treatment under the U.S.
Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Ten council members voted yes, and four voted
present.

The resolution,
introduced by council members Dominick Calsolaro,
Ronald Bailey,
Richard Conti, Catherine Fahey, Anton Konev, James
Sano, and Barbara Smith,
was inspired by a declassified July 2009 report by the
Justice Department’s Inspector General on domestic
surveillance programs. His report recommended that the
Justice Department carefully consider whether it
should re-examine past [terrorism] cases to see
whether potentially exculpatory evidence was collected
under President
George Bush’s
secret President’s Surveillance Program (PSP), which
was established in 2001 and included the
National Security Agency’s
(NSA)
warrantless wiretapping program.

Under the preemptive prosecution program, hundreds of
Muslims throughout America have been prosecuted
and convicted to “preempt” them from committing crimes
in the future. Under such a regime (prosecution for
alleged intent), there is a substantial danger
that innocent people will be convicted who had no real
intention of ever breaking the law.

Council member Dominick
Calsolaro said, “We showed that the impact of a
federal government sting affects more than just the
family, it affects the community… When the federal
government does not follow its [own] laws, more people
than just the family are affected.”

Council member Barbara
Smith said, “I think the Common Council made an
important statement this evening in calling attention
to the improper prosecution and targeting of
Muslims. It is important for us to communicate with
the federal government, and this is a good way to do
it.”

Council members Smith and Calsolaro are expected to be
among the speakers at the April 29thpress
conference.Lynne
Jackson, a spokeswoman for Albany-based Project SALAM,
the organization that spearheaded the resolution
effort, will also address the gathering.

The press conference will be hosted byFamilies
United For Justice in America (FUJA), with the
support of The Peace thru Justice Foundation and other
concerned citizens. The briefing is open to all
interested media.